Quinn Hughes gives curious answer about his Vancouver Canucks future
Two years ago today, Quinn Hughes was named captain of the Vancouver Canucks.
That’s ironic, because the question most Canucks fans are pondering right now is whether Hughes will still be a member of the Canucks two years from now.
With both Quinn and his brother Jack speaking at NHL media week recently, there’s been a ton of chatter about the future of the Canucks captain. That’s largely because Jack publicly expressed his desire to play with his older brother at some point.
While that shouldn’t be a surprise, it should rightly have Canucks fans feeling a little uneasy.
So, do the Canucks have a chance at keeping their captain long-term? Hughes provided an open-ended answer to that on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast.
“I mean, I’ll answer that with my actions next summer,” Hughes told 32 Thoughts podcast hosts Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas.
While that answer probably didn’t do much to quell anxiety among Canucks fans about his departure, Hughes did provide some context about why he may stay.
“Anything can change,” Hughes said. “If we have a terrible year this year, that’s probably not going to be very fun. But if we have a terrific year, that’s what we want. That will be really fun. Two years ago was really, really fun.”
Hughes got his first taste of NHL playoff action in front of fans in 2024, helping the Canucks push the Edmonton Oilers to the brink of elimination before eventually falling in Game 7.
They weren’t able to replicate that success in 2024-25, something that’s motivating Hughes heading into this season.
“Last year was a failure, and I want to propel my game even further and propel my teammates even further, and see what we can do.”
Even though last season didn’t go the way Hughes (or anyone on the Canucks) envisioned, the 25-year-old did express gratitude towards the city and the team.
“I’ve really enjoyed Vancouver,” he said. “I’m very thankful.”
“When I came to Vancouver, I don’t think anyone thought I would become what I have become. That’s happened because of the people in Vancouver… management, coaching. I’ve had three great coaches between Bruce [Boudreau], [Travis Green], and Rick [Tocchet].
“Management kind of gave me the keys to the kingdom a couple of years ago, gave me the C, so I’m very grateful.”